John Stuart Mill, a radical empiricist and liberalist, was one of the most influential philosophers in Britain during the nineteenth century. While he wrote on almost all the areas of philosophy, his main concerns were ethics and social thought. Mill supported many controversial issues, including the principle of utility, empiricism, and women's rights.
Biography
John Stuart Mill was born in 1806 in London, England. His father, James Mill, was close friends with Jeremy Bentham. They were the leading members of the Philosophical Radicals, who were dedicated to reforming society according to Bentham's ideas of utilitarianism. John Stuart Mill's father and Bentham would come to be some of the greatest influences on his philosophy.
Mill was educated at home by his father. He began studying the Greek language when he was age three and Latin at eight. He was very widely read by the time he was fourteen, and even began publishing his writings at sixteen. All of this stress led him to have a "mental crisis" at the age of twenty, which he eventually came out of by the help of reading poetry.
Mill worked for thirty-five years for the East India Company. The position he held left him with plenty of free time, which he used to write. After he retired, Mill moved to Aivignon, France, where he served as a member of Parliament from 1865 to 1868.
When Mill first met his wife, Harriet Taylor, she was a married mother with young children. They shared intellectual interests, and became very close. The two married in 1851, two years after Harriet's husband's death. Mill died in 1873 in Avignon, France and is buried next to his wife.
Philosophy
Mill's most well known view on philosophy was his utilitarianism. Jeremy Bentham's version utilitarianism refers to a system of ethics that says that conduct should be directed toward promoting the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. He treated all forms of pleasure equally. This is where Mill disagreed with Bentham, as he believed that some forms of happiness are more worthwhile than others. This he applied especially to intellectual and moral pleasures, explaining that "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied."
Mill also held a strong defense for the individual and of human rights. This is apparent in an anonymous letter he sent in to a local magazine, which eventually came to be known by the title "The Negro Question." In this letter, Mill clearly denounced slavery, saying that black people are no less intelligent than whites, and even if they were, it would still be extremely wrong to treat them in that way. Additionally, Mill is also famous for being one of the earliest and biggest supporters of women's rights. The Subjection of Women was one of the first books written by a man on the subject of feminism. He felt that giving women the right to vote was essential for the progress of mankind.
Major Works
A System of Logic (1843) On Liberty (1859) Utilitarianism (1861) The Subjection of Women (1869) Autobiography (1873)
Quotations
Ask yourself whether you are happy and you cease to be so.
Whatever crushes individuality is despotism, by whatever name it may be called.
All good things which exist are the fruits of originality.
Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives.
It is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.
Bibliography
Bartlett, John. Familiar Quotations. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1980. 508.
Johnson, Oliver A. "John Stuart Mill." Great Thinkers of the Western World. Ed. Ian P. McGreal. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1992. 360-363.
Almond, Brenda. "Mill." Western Philosophy. Ed. David Papineau. New York, NY: Duncan Baird, 2004. 139-140.
Heydt, Colin. "Mill, John Stuart--a. Overview." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2006. University of South Florida. 04 Apr. 2008 <http://www.iep.utm.edu/m/milljs.htm>.
By: Jana R.
Introduction
John Stuart Mill, a radical empiricist and liberalist, was one of the most influential philosophers in Britain during the nineteenth century. While he wrote on almost all the areas of philosophy, his main concerns were ethics and social thought. Mill supported many controversial issues, including the principle of utility, empiricism, and women's rights.
Biography
John Stuart Mill was born in 1806 in London, England. His father, James Mill, was close friends with Jeremy Bentham. They were the leading members of the Philosophical Radicals, who were dedicated to reforming society according to Bentham's ideas of utilitarianism. John Stuart Mill's father and Bentham would come to be some of the greatest influences on his philosophy.
Mill was educated at home by his father. He began studying the Greek language when he was age three and Latin at eight. He was very widely read by the time he was fourteen, and even began publishing his writings at sixteen. All of this stress led him to have a "mental crisis" at the age of twenty, which he eventually came out of by the help of reading poetry.
Mill worked for thirty-five years for the East India Company. The position he held left him with plenty of free time, which he used to write. After he retired, Mill moved to Aivignon, France, where he served as a member of Parliament from 1865 to 1868.
When Mill first met his wife, Harriet Taylor, she was a married mother with young children. They shared intellectual interests, and became very close. The two married in 1851, two years after Harriet's husband's death. Mill died in 1873 in Avignon, France and is buried next to his wife.
Philosophy
Mill's most well known view on philosophy was his utilitarianism. Jeremy Bentham's version utilitarianism refers to a system of ethics that says that conduct should be directed toward promoting the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. He treated all forms of pleasure equally. This is where Mill disagreed with Bentham, as he believed that some forms of happiness are more worthwhile than others. This he applied especially to intellectual and moral pleasures, explaining that "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied."
Mill also held a strong defense for the individual and of human rights. This is apparent in an anonymous letter he sent in to a local magazine, which eventually came to be known by the title "The Negro Question." In this letter, Mill clearly denounced slavery, saying that black people are no less intelligent than whites, and even if they were, it would still be extremely wrong to treat them in that way. Additionally, Mill is also famous for being one of the earliest and biggest supporters of women's rights. The Subjection of Women was one of the first books written by a man on the subject of feminism. He felt that giving women the right to vote was essential for the progress of mankind.
Major Works
A System of Logic (1843)
On Liberty (1859)
Utilitarianism (1861)
The Subjection of Women (1869)
Autobiography (1873)
Quotations
Ask yourself whether you are happy and you cease to be so.
Whatever crushes individuality is despotism, by whatever name it may be called.
All good things which exist are the fruits of originality.
Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives.
It is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.
Bibliography